


The Road Not Taken

by alfredvonkrolock



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-18
Updated: 2017-03-18
Packaged: 2018-10-06 05:19:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10326437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alfredvonkrolock/pseuds/alfredvonkrolock
Summary: One late evening, Thomas Barrow is having a cigarette down near the garage. Tom Branson, with his obsession for fixing cars, finds the new butler outside. The two have a heart-to-heart with stunning realizations coming to light.*Based off a prompt I was given on tumblr*





	

**Author's Note:**

> Here is the prompt I was given:  
> "Maybe Tom and Thomas talking about Sybil (and Tom knew Sybil and Thomas were buddies bc one time he was going on about how Thomas was just The Worst and Sybil was like actually no) and realizing they don't hate each other and actually like each other a bit... actually like each other a bit more than either of them are comfortable with."
> 
> So that inspired this little story. I intended for this to be a one shot sort of thing, but I don't see that happening...  
> Note, it's not beta'd or anything, so all mistakes are my own.

Thomas Barrow stood with his back against the wall, a cigarette dangling precariously from his lips, his eyes up at the stars above. The sky was clear this evening, allowing the cosmos to reveal themselves to all willing to look up. There was a light breeze blowing through the grounds of the Abbey, chilling Barrow. Wrapping his right arm across his chest, he grabbed the cigarette with his left and ashed it. With a deep sigh, he took another drag and extinguished the flame. 

He began to walk back to the house, but not before a voice called out to him.

“Thomas?”

Turning, he found Tom Branson standing at the far end of the garage, wiping his hands with a dirty rag, his sleeves rolled up.

“Evenin’ sir.”

Tom tilted his head towards the direction of himself, motioning for Thomas to join him inside the garage. Sighing, the butler obliged.  _ At least it would be warmer _ , he thought. As he walked, the sound of the gravel beneath his feet gave way to the crunching of grass. The walk-in entrance to the garage was on the opposite side of the doors where the cars traveled in and out of, so it didn’t have as much work put into it since many (besides servants) see this area.

Once inside, Thomas shut the door behind him to keep the wind out. Tom was standing over by his Lordship’s car, inspecting the door closely.

“Can I help you with something, sir?”

Tom looked up, having forgotten momentarily that Thomas was there.

“What? Oh, no. I just thought you’d much rather stand somewhere where you won't be chilled to the bone.” He grinned, turning to give the door another glance before travelling to the back of the automobile.

“In that case sir, I think I’m going to go ahead and-”

“Oh come on, Thomas. No one else is here, you can call me by my name.” Tom poked his head up, smiling at the man. “I know as the butler that goes outside of your comfort zone, but I really don’t care.”

Letting out another sigh, Thomas reached into his jacket to withdraw his cigarettes and matches, glancing at Tom. “Would you like one?”

“Sure.”

Thomas pulled out a second cigarette and handed it to Tom. Lighting his own first, he extended the burning match to Tom, who tilted his head to let him light it. The Irishman inhaled deeply, letting his eyes flutter shut with the burning sensation in his lungs. Instead of exhaling, the wisps of smoke escaped through his slightly open mouth. Thomas watched in fascination as the smoke curled up and around Tom’s face, rising towards the ceiling. As he finally exhaled, he opened his eyes and caught a hold of Thomas’s stare for a second, before turning away.

Clearing his throat, Tom grasped the cigarette between his fingers and chuckled. “God, that’s good. Cigars just don’t do the trick.” Thomas nodded, the items now returned to his pocket.

“I think they really calm you down - help you focus on things.”

“Aye, perfect for a car man like myself.”

The two stood in silence for a few minutes; Thomas looked around the space where Branson has spent most of his time the past few weeks, working on Lord Grantham’s car. The place was a mess, no clear sense of organization to be found. It honestly irked Thomas to a point, but that’s because he’d been one for cleanliness and organization his whole life. It seemed obvious that Tom was taught differently.

“So why’d you come all the way down to the garage for a smoke?” Tom asked, bringing Barrow back to current thoughts. The Irishman was leaned against a table, his blue eyes focused on Thomas.

“I just wanted to go on a walk and enjoy the weather while I had a cigarette. The wind picked up though, while I was out, didn’t it?” Another drag.

“But why the garage?”

“Are you assuming that I have some motive for walking out here?”

“No, I just-”

“Cause there isn’t one. I just fancied some peace and I didn’t think anyone was here.” But why had Thomas chosen the garage? There are a number of places on the Abbey’s lands that he could have gone for some privacy.

“Course not. I was just curious.” Tom scratched his nose, rotating his wrist to check the time - nearly 10:30. Looking back up, he watched as Thomas scratched his left eye and he found himself chuckling.

“Something funny?” Thomas felt a stab of guilt from talking to Tom so plainly, but the other man insisted that he didn’t care how the servants talked to him, just to not do it in front of anyone else from upstairs, lest they get a scolding.

“Nothing, I just...”

“Well you were laughing at  _ something _ .”

“Well it’s just that fact I saw you scratch at your eye and all I could think about was when William Mason punched you.”

Thomas grimaced at the memory; he had a black eye for a few weeks. “And you find that funny?”

“Come on, you have to admit that once you look back on it, it is kind of funny.”

“I suppose.”

“And you have to admit you deserved it.”

Thomas cocked his head and scoffed. “How so?”

“Well it was pretty rude what you said about his mother.”

“I’ll admit what I said was rude, but he didn’t have to-”

“You’re lucky it didn’t happen more often.”

Thomas frowned, putting out his cigarette and tossing it into the wastebasket. “I didn’t ask to come down here and be told off by you.”

“That’s not what I meant-”

“Then what did you mean?”

“You just reminded me of it, I apologize.”

Thomas turned on his heels to try and leave but he was stopped by Tom calling out to him.

“I didn’t use to like you, you know.”

Sighing, Thomas turned to look over his shoulder, a frown on his face. “Really, what made you change your mind?”

“Sybil.”

At the sound of the dead Crawley daughter’s name, Thomas’ heart froze momentarily. He turned to face Tom once again who, he realized, looked a little paler in the light of the garage. “What about her?”

Tom licked his lips, setting his cigarette down. “After all that happened, all the things you did... she managed to see a light in you. At first I didn’t believe her. I thought you were an evil bastard, but she told me otherwise. Sybil talked about you like you were the light of her life. To be honest, that made me a little jealous. But I didn’t have to worry about losing her to you or anything, did I?”

Running his hand through his hair, Thomas approached the table Tom leaned against and followed suit. “She was always my favorite of the three. She was sweet. She saw me for... me.” He shrugged, sighing. “Of course she would talk about you all the time. I was the first person who knew how she felt about you. She loved you very much.”

“I know she did - she gave me a daughter to prove it.”

“And a beautiful daughter she is.”

"Aye. But I feel ashamed, Thomas.”

Barrow looked to Tom, a look of confusion clouding his face. “Why?”

“Because I never truly believe Sybil. But after...” his blue eyes fell to Thomas’ wrists. Barrow hid his hands in his pockets, feeling a ghost pain where the blade once bit his skin. “After things came out... I realized you weren’t evil. You were just sad. And taken advantage of.”

“I’m glad you can see the truth.”

“Are you?”

“Yes.”

“And how are you now, Thomas? Are things really better?”

Tom could see the faintest trace of a smile on his lips, the way they subtly changed shape.

“I am. Things are easier than they were before. I spent all that time hiding everything, every emotion. And now I let it all go. I actually feel happy.” Now Thomas was smiling full on, but his gaze was still pointed towards the floor.

“Tell me, have you found anyone in your life, yet?”

“What do you mean?”

“Only someone to settle down with.”

Out of the corner of his eye Tom watched the smile fade back into a thin line, a look of worry coming over the butler.

“I don’t think I’m meant to.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because... the path of life I have chosen means I shouldn’t take a wife.”

Tom moved himself slightly closer to Thomas, setting his hand upon the other’s shoulder. “We both know that’s not what I meant.”

“I don’t know what you mean, sir.”

“Thomas, you can say it here. You can trust me.”

“There’s nothing to say, sir.” He stood straight, brushing his jacket. “I should head back up to the house, Mr. Branson. I will see you at breakfast.” Thomas turned once again to leave but was stopped by a pull on his arm. Turning back around, he found Tom looking at him - but he was looking differently. There was something there that he hadn’t noticed before - a searching of some kind.

“Tom?”

Closing the distance between them, Tom stepped towards Thomas, his eyes locked on the other man’s. He looked up, only slightly because of Thomas’ height, and found himself leaning in, resting his lips upon Barrow’s. There was something much like an electric spark between the two and Thomas found himself pressing harder into the kiss, his eyes fluttering shut.

Tom opened his mouth slightly, like he did for the smoke, except this time to let Thomas enter with his tongue.

The two stood there, kissing with a fierce passion for a few moments before Thomas pulled away. He opened his eyes to see Tom red faced but smiling. “Why?” he asked. “Why did you do that?”

“Because I wanted to... I’ve wanted to for a little while.”

“But you’re not like me... you’ve married a woman. You have a child.”

“We both know that means shite.”

“But what would Sybil say about you... kissing another man?”

“Sybil wouldn’t mind. I was very open with her after our marriage. I told her that I’m attracted to both men and women. She didn’t care, really. In fact she found it exciting and progressive.”

“Did she know? About me, I mean.”

“She did.”

“Ah.”

“Thomas, I hope I didn’t step too far?”

Barrow shook his head, pulling out his cigarette case and lighting another one. He offered another to Branson, but he refused.

“Thomas, I’ve been alone for quite a while now... I’m ready to be loved again. And I’m ready to love as well. But I want to do things right, I want to be a gentleman about it.”

Thomas’ eyes went wide, watching the Irishman in front of him. “You mean courting?”

“Yes, if you’d let me.”

Thomas found himself agreeing and before he knew it, he was laying in his bed staring at the dark ceiling. He pressed his index and middle finger to his lips, smiling against them at the memory of Tom’s lips pressed against his own. He had no way of knowing that a floor below him, Tom was in his bed doing the exact same thing.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoy the first chapter! Let's see how this goes, yes?  
> All comments and criticisms are appreciated!  
> If you feel up to it, you can follow my tumblr here: anatolesteele.tumblr.com


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